Question

A Spainguru community member recently shared a screenshot about marriage and divorce rate in Spain, sparking debate about how family structures are evolving in this country compared with the rest of Europe.

To fact-check this claim and add context, we looked at Eurostat’s most recent (2023) statistics on marriage, divorce, and births outside marriage.

Answers

Community members who joined the discussion shared a range of experiences and views:

• Many observed that marriage is no longer as central in Spanish society, with growing numbers of couples opting for cohabitation or long-term partnerships instead of weddings.
• Others noted that divorce is widely accepted today, often regarded as a natural step in modern relationships rather than carrying stigma.
• Several pointed out that a large proportion of children are now born outside marriage, which mirrors cultural changes across both Spain and Europe.

Spainguru’s investigation on Divorce rates in Europe and how Spain compares to the rest of the countries.

To put these experiences in perspective, Eurostat’s March 2025 update provides hard figures for 2023:

• Across the EU, there were 4.0 marriages per 1,000 people, down from 8.0 in 1964. Spain follows this downward trend.
• Divorces stood at 2.0 per 1,000 people, more than double the 1964 rate (0.8), though slightly below the 2006 peak.
• In 2023, 41.1% of children in the EU were born outside marriage. In countries like France, Portugal, and Sweden, births outside marriage even outnumbered those within it.

The comparison

• Marriage rates (2023):
  • The highest crude marriage rates in the EU were in Romania (5.8), Latvia (5.6), and Hungary (5.2).
  • The lowest were in Slovenia (3.0) and Italy (3.1).
  • The EU average was 4.0 marriages per 1,000 people.
  • Spain was slightly below the EU average, around 3.5 marriages per 1,000, putting it closer to Italy and Bulgaria than to the leading countries.
• Divorce rates (2023):
  • The highest crude divorce rates were in Latvia (2.8), Lithuania (2.5), and Finland (2.1).
  • The lowest were in Slovenia (1.0), Croatia (1.1), and Romania (1.2).
  • The EU average was 2.0 divorces per 1,000 people.
  • Spain was slightly below this level at around 1.9 divorces per 1,000, meaning divorce is somewhat less common in Spain compared with northern EU countries but more common than in Eastern and Balkan states.

In short: Spain has fewer marriages than the EU average but sits very close to the European average on divorces, showing a more moderate position compared to the extremes of countries like Latvia (high divorce, high marriage) or Slovenia (low marriage, low divorce).

Conclusion

The Facebook discussion reflected what the statistics confirm: marriage rates in Spain and across Europe are declining, divorce remains common though stable, and more families are forming outside traditional marriage.

While cultural differences between EU countries remain, Spain is very much part of this wider European shift toward diverse family structures. For expats, this means living in a society where cohabitation, civil partnerships, and non-traditional families are increasingly normalized and supported by law.

This article is based on the contributions and experiences of Spainguru community members, combined with Eurostat’s 2023 statistics, and is not legal advice.

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